In the News

February 29, 2012 — Alabama Sen. Clay Scofield (R) on Sunday announced he would rewrite a bill (SB 12) so that women seeking abortion care could choose between a mandatory vaginal or abdominal ultrasound, the Montgomery Advertiserreports (Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser, 2/27).

A 2002 Alabama law already requires ultrasounds before abortion care in the state. The original version of Scofield's bill, approved last week by the Senate Health Committee, would require a doctor or an ultrasound technician to use whichever ultrasound method "would display the embryo or fetus more clearly."

Under the legislation, a doctor or ultrasound technician would have to position the ultrasound screen so the woman could see it and provide a "verbal explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting," as well as a "medical description" of the image, including the size of the embryo or fetus and presence of any limbs or internal organs. Women would not have to have an ultrasound if there was a medical emergency. Scofield said he also would amend the measure to make clear that it would not apply in cases of ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages (White, Birmingham News, 2/28).

The bill would impose penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine for health care providers who failed to administer an ultrasound. In addition, the woman, the father of the fetus or the grandparents could file a lawsuit against the physician for "actual and punitive damages" (Montgomery Advertiser, 2/27).

Scofield said the original version prompted a "media frenzy." Several Democratic lawmakers had pledged to fight the bill (Birmingham News, 2/28). Rep. Patricia Todd (D) said on Monday that the proposed amendments would not change her opposition to the bill (Montgomery Advertiser, 2/28).

Video Round Up

An Interview with Justice Ginsburg on the State of Abortion Access

In a rare interview, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells MSNBC's Irin Carmon it is a "crying shame" that state abortion restrictions are making the procedure increasingly "[i]naccessible" to many low-income women. Watch the video

Datapoints

A Look at Abortion Coverage in the ACA's Marketplace Plans, Repro Health Report Card, More

This week's charts depict why abortion coverage is unavailable in many states' ACA marketplace plans for 2015. We also feature a national reproductive health report card and an interactive look at abortion restrictions in Missouri. Read more

At A Glance

"[Roe v. Wade] protects a woman's freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health, and reaffirms a fundamental American value: that government should not intrude in our most private and personal family matters."

— President Obama, commemorating the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Read more